tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76074249374629446892014-10-01T22:36:35.202-07:00The Peace Corps ChroniclesA Two Year Adventure in MalawiStacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-26043184151608672522013-02-21T05:21:00.004-08:002013-02-21T05:21:00.443-08:00The Neilson Family African Adventure! Finally.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">This is the most overdue post ever, because I’m a lazy idiot.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Family came to visit in August… that’s over 5 months ago.&nbsp; Man, I suck.&nbsp; Anyway, it was the best ten straight days in Malawi yet.&nbsp; I loved having them here to see what I see and deal with every day.&nbsp; I was just so proud to have them here!&nbsp; Here’s the run-down of the trip:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We rented a car for the trip, because I could NOT see them traveling around Malawi in a matola.&nbsp; Started off in the airport, which was so much fun to see them step out into Africa!&nbsp; All jet lagged and disoriented on a continent they’ve never been to before (except Callie).&nbsp; It was like I had a secret that I knew all about and I wasn’t telling.&nbsp; It was so cool to have them enter my element.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We started the tour heading up the lakeshore road for a two-night stay in Nkhata Bay (read “meat buffet”), where Mom and Dad stayed in a stone tree house, like they’ve always wanted.&nbsp; We stopped at a croc farm on the way and also got a flat tire, so our driver gave us some quality time at the curio stands while he fixed it:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gnh_1nsShGk/URZErAPbbsI/AAAAAAAAAeA/nKHSvQlptHo/s1600/P1040563a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gnh_1nsShGk/URZErAPbbsI/AAAAAAAAAeA/nKHSvQlptHo/s320/P1040563a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Croc Farm</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g3DmvAZGMQA/URZFBpg7BII/AAAAAAAAAeI/52L9rm2bH9Q/s1600/P1040578a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g3DmvAZGMQA/URZFBpg7BII/AAAAAAAAAeI/52L9rm2bH9Q/s320/P1040578a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callie and I bartering...and winning</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D3yT7zarMDk/URZFxdYScmI/AAAAAAAAAeo/tsFsHGD6KvQ/s1600/P1040584a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D3yT7zarMDk/URZFxdYScmI/AAAAAAAAAeo/tsFsHGD6KvQ/s320/P1040584a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom, using her charm to get a good price</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AUc0_5OIxIk/URZFhG95-UI/AAAAAAAAAeY/rA1GljuIvIo/s1600/P1040580a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AUc0_5OIxIk/URZFhG95-UI/AAAAAAAAAeY/rA1GljuIvIo/s320/P1040580a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad won too! &nbsp;Also, its a cool picture.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Then to my house, where I really got to show off!&nbsp; They met Doug, and Kitty, and Couch, and the Pastor’s family.&nbsp; They got a tour of the current Health Center and took a hike up to my school.&nbsp; I got to cook for them and introduce them to the neighborhood kids and they finally realized just how fine I am here, living in Africa all on my own:<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PYuFZrbG4Lg/URY_afywlsI/AAAAAAAAAbo/KgbyyeuLgx0/s1600/DSCN0626a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PYuFZrbG4Lg/URY_afywlsI/AAAAAAAAAbo/KgbyyeuLgx0/s400/DSCN0626a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My family on my porch with my neighborhood kids!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h89A2yFkjno/URY_a-rAHRI/AAAAAAAAAbs/LMDCN6BgCK0/s1600/DSCN0615a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h89A2yFkjno/URY_a-rAHRI/AAAAAAAAAbs/LMDCN6BgCK0/s320/DSCN0615a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callie with the Pastor's wife, who is the penpal of one of Callie's<br />volleyball friends, Kellyn</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uL-Vr8xezNo/URY_U7feW_I/AAAAAAAAAbg/n0FiegPSdhA/s1600/DSCN0612a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uL-Vr8xezNo/URY_U7feW_I/AAAAAAAAAbg/n0FiegPSdhA/s400/DSCN0612a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My American family with my African dog</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two wee babes reading children's books my parents brought over:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ThKDF5wTQ-U/URZA12Epk4I/AAAAAAAAAcY/t9wpXffQiKQ/s1600/IMG_2437a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ThKDF5wTQ-U/URZA12Epk4I/AAAAAAAAAcY/t9wpXffQiKQ/s320/IMG_2437a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bh-ww2VAfc/URZBL3S2w3I/AAAAAAAAAco/OAuVXR_KiyQ/s1600/IMG_2438a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bh-ww2VAfc/URZBL3S2w3I/AAAAAAAAAco/OAuVXR_KiyQ/s320/IMG_2438a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>After that, we headed north to Lukwe for our favorite steaks, stopping at Vwaza National Park for a little safari excursion:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4d8FWhBVc1k/URZAC0EOZrI/AAAAAAAAAcA/TH_fnrFT6B0/s1600/IMG_2027a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4d8FWhBVc1k/URZAC0EOZrI/AAAAAAAAAcA/TH_fnrFT6B0/s400/IMG_2027a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants in the bush</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mtyk5W4vxeM/URY_2ZqBjNI/AAAAAAAAAb4/hPASqKgfzpo/s1600/IMG_2042a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mtyk5W4vxeM/URY_2ZqBjNI/AAAAAAAAAb4/hPASqKgfzpo/s400/IMG_2042a.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Q: How can you tell the difference between a sleeping hippo and a dead hippo?<br />A: &nbsp;You take its pulse!!!! But who is gonna take its pulse?! &nbsp;If it's just sleeping, it will destroy you!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CIktSpy74uo/URZAVJfQ71I/AAAAAAAAAcI/LO3AflLykzU/s1600/IMG_2072a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CIktSpy74uo/URZAVJfQ71I/AAAAAAAAAcI/LO3AflLykzU/s400/IMG_2072a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xlWp1LkXmFk/URZA3y95tOI/AAAAAAAAAcg/ZAo-LgcqXYc/s1600/IMG_2081a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xlWp1LkXmFk/URZA3y95tOI/AAAAAAAAAcg/ZAo-LgcqXYc/s400/IMG_2081a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iuivOI_4_W8/URZAfPt-SbI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/P3U2VOwkSg0/s1600/IMG_2079a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iuivOI_4_W8/URZAfPt-SbI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/P3U2VOwkSg0/s320/IMG_2079a.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A BOMB&nbsp;picnic with REAL lunch meat and cheese. <br />And a few tsetse flies.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">On the way back down, we stopped at the bag ladies (Robert’s women’s group who make chitenje bags), where the Family finally got to try Malawian cuisine (you know how I feel about Malawian “cuisine”…)&nbsp; SO much fun seeing them get nsima all over their hands and eat like Malawians!!!&nbsp; Man, I WISH I’d gotten a picture, I am KICKING myself!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dad, Robert and I went on a few dives at Kande (including a night dive, which I did NOT appreciate, as Rob and Dad got caught in fishing net and Rob’s flashlight was dying, and our guide was an idiot, and I was thus freaking out).&nbsp; But they got to experience the lake first hand and attest to its awesomeness. &nbsp;The final night we spent a truly Peace Corps-style night camping on the beach at Robert’s site, eating fresh fish and s’mores over a bonfire with a box of wine.&nbsp; In hindsight, we should have done Robert’s house first.&nbsp; He lives in a real-life Peace Corps site, with a mud hut and thatched roof.&nbsp; So after spending ten days in relatively upscale spots and my house, which is essentially America, the Fam was kind of thrown for a loop.&nbsp; My bad.&nbsp; But I’m glad they got to experience how real PCVs live in Africa, and not just my pampered self (and for the record, his house really isn’t THAT bad. He’s got a pretty bomb site, when you look past the termite infestation, mouse poop, spiders, small house made of mud, and unmotivated village…)&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a whirlwind trip around Northern Malawi, we didn’t stay anywhere longer than 2 nights.&nbsp; We were all pretty beat.&nbsp; Back at the airport, no eye was dry.&nbsp; Even Robert’s!&nbsp; So they were all either really sleep deprived, or they really like me.&nbsp; Go me!&nbsp; It was a pretty rough goodbye, if I’m being honest, since we all knew it’d be another 10 months before we were together again.&nbsp; But it was SO wonderful having them here!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So later, after they’d gone and I didn’t stop crying, Robert bought me ice cream, because ice cream fixes everything.<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-65719713276862898622013-02-18T05:19:00.000-08:002013-02-18T05:19:00.658-08:00Kitty is having Kittens!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NS8pIjN-77w/URZMIWeGjwI/AAAAAAAAAfI/ho-i_PHeYlA/s1600/IMG_3788a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NS8pIjN-77w/URZMIWeGjwI/AAAAAAAAAfI/ho-i_PHeYlA/s320/IMG_3788a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pregnant Kitty napping with me on Couch in the <br />weirdest&nbsp;position possible. &nbsp;Also, she's HUGE!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Kitty is super duper pregnant. &nbsp;It’s hilarious and adorable.&nbsp; She’s so fat!&nbsp; She knocks things over a lot more than usual because she’s like twice the size as she used to be.&nbsp; She sleeps even more but she can never get comfortable.&nbsp; So cute watching her squirm!&nbsp; I know she’s probably miserable, but I just can’t get enough of it!&nbsp; She’s got this voracious appetite now, she’ll eat through any amount of plastic to get to meat.&nbsp; And she’s like a magnet for cuddling.&nbsp; She followed me all the way to the Health Center the other day and waited for me to sit down so she could curl up on my lap.&nbsp; Adorable.&nbsp; I’ve made a little kitten nest out of a care package box.&nbsp; It has a little sign and everything, “C-A-T Nursery”.&nbsp; Rob and I are calling it “The Birthing Box” for now though, so we don’t jinx it.&nbsp; God, I’m gonna love these babies. &nbsp;Should be due at the end of the month!&nbsp; Rob thinks it’ll be a liter of two, I’m thinking three.&nbsp; Anyone wanna put money down on this?! &nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w28cx1eYPxk/URZFoK_CjHI/AAAAAAAAAeg/oHfndaYORJo/s1600/P1040614a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w28cx1eYPxk/URZFoK_CjHI/AAAAAAAAAeg/oHfndaYORJo/s320/P1040614a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pregnant Kitty has&nbsp;commandeered&nbsp;Doug's bed for her own<br />pregnant kitty use. &nbsp;Sorry Doug. &nbsp;You can kind of<br />see her little pregnant kitty baby bump.</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-12960895857081250202013-02-14T05:08:00.000-08:002013-02-14T05:08:00.302-08:00Health Center Building Project Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Gah, I’m so tired of talking about the health center.&nbsp; I just want it to work out already!!&nbsp; But things ARE progressing.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The MP has promised to fund the project, but he hasn’t gotten back to me about how much, when, and from where he will get us the money.&nbsp; I’m expecting about 6 million kwacha from him, which will be perfect, as long as he actually comes through.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Peace Corps is giving us another $1000+ to adjust for the inflation that’s occurred since we originally submitted the grant.&nbsp; So that’ll help.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We went on our first buying-spree.&nbsp; Spent $1000 of the SPA grant from PC to buy the cement and tools and stuff for the foundation.&nbsp; The foundation is almost completely dug and should be cemented in next week!!!&nbsp; So things are definitely going!<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pX87-YpIyik/URZCZlVfmuI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/jUR2lK5mFMg/s1600/IMG_3543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pX87-YpIyik/URZCZlVfmuI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/jUR2lK5mFMg/s320/IMG_3543.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first delivery! That's Mr. Phiri in the front, the Senior Health<br />Surveillance&nbsp;Assistant and project manager, taking to the Nurse and the <br />Medical Assistant. &nbsp;Doug is helping too...</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iY9yY5qqxts/URZCwuC3M5I/AAAAAAAAAdY/54rRZdvXX1Y/s1600/IMG_3549a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iY9yY5qqxts/URZCwuC3M5I/AAAAAAAAAdY/54rRZdvXX1Y/s320/IMG_3549a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">100 bags of cement!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <div class="MsoNormal">I’ve decided against extending my service.&nbsp; If I extended it could potentially jeopardize Chikwina receiving a new PCV from this new group, which wouldn’t be fair, and could set us back quite a bit.&nbsp; So instead, I’ve worked out a deal with the office that we’ll identify my replacement early so I can work with him/her throughout training on passing off this massive project.&nbsp; I’ve even gone a step further to post essentially a Want Ad on the facebook group for the new health group coming in to identify my own suitable replacement.&nbsp; Ya know, can’t really trust the office all the time.&nbsp; I unwisely have really high hopes for the next few months!<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yLSwuiilsKw/URZDSZK0peI/AAAAAAAAAdg/JFJljjgqORM/s1600/IMG_2694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yLSwuiilsKw/URZDSZK0peI/AAAAAAAAAdg/JFJljjgqORM/s320/IMG_2694.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slashing the site of grass</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k2d19RnmOXk/URZDz26ln-I/AAAAAAAAAdo/94P1Rk4hEL8/s1600/IMG_3612a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k2d19RnmOXk/URZDz26ln-I/AAAAAAAAAdo/94P1Rk4hEL8/s320/IMG_3612a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marking out the boundaries. Check out that view!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rTgvtIxqRIU/URZD1dLJ3mI/AAAAAAAAAdw/kQYxeXpcZ7Q/s1600/IMG_3614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rTgvtIxqRIU/URZD1dLJ3mI/AAAAAAAAAdw/kQYxeXpcZ7Q/s320/IMG_3614.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The contractor and his team</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cga5lwv-uDY/URZEaK-Q2qI/AAAAAAAAAd4/CzTaGo-Upqg/s1600/IMG_3630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cga5lwv-uDY/URZEaK-Q2qI/AAAAAAAAAd4/CzTaGo-Upqg/s320/IMG_3630.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uaeHget9zjs/URZFCMAptWI/AAAAAAAAAeM/2MSkkUPtmB4/s1600/IMG_3637a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uaeHget9zjs/URZFCMAptWI/AAAAAAAAAeM/2MSkkUPtmB4/s320/IMG_3637a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to dig the foundation... bye bye mango tree. <br />It's for the greater good.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-509527714175720092013-02-11T05:04:00.000-08:002013-02-11T05:04:00.222-08:00The Pad Project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The Pad Project<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Whoa!!! Can’t believe how overdue I am in posting stuff! I seem to have taken a Christmas through February hiatus from blogging. My bad.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In December my friend Elizabeth came to visit my site to bring her pad project to Chikwina.&nbsp; In Malawi, girls often miss a ton of school when they’re menstruating because they really don’t have an effective way to keep all that under control here.&nbsp; It only contributes to the lower attendance and academic success of girls (let me remind you that last year in my Form 1 class, I had 25 girls.&nbsp; My Form 4 class had 3).&nbsp; Female sanitation is really not a huge topic in schools here, especially since most teachers are men and the topic is taboo anyway.&nbsp; So Elizabeth taking the initiative on coming up with a solution to this problem, traveling around Malawi and educating women was absolutely amazing.&nbsp; It was hands-down the most successful 2 days I’ve ever seen here.&nbsp; Elizabeth, a nurse, was unbelievable with the girls and women who came to her sessions!&nbsp; Huge hit!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We started our first session with a group of 15ish women at the health center for their prenatal care.&nbsp; Elizabeth used props and culturally relevant analogies and huge gestures to get her information across, while urging the women to share what they have learned with their sisters and friends.&nbsp; It was a very hands-on experience for the women.&nbsp; They loved it.&nbsp; Afterwards, some of them came to be trained on how to sew their own sanitary pads.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0fk6TCtZsk/URZBk-Ib5KI/AAAAAAAAAcw/qHr0yjTKtFM/s1600/IMG_2441a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0fk6TCtZsk/URZBk-Ib5KI/AAAAAAAAAcw/qHr0yjTKtFM/s320/IMG_2441a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women sewing pads on my front porch</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later in the day, my Secondary school girls came for their session.&nbsp; It turned into a riot!&nbsp; With shouting and laughing and openness.&nbsp; Elizabeth really reached out to the girls and entertained them as they learned.&nbsp; They had wonderful questions and they were not afraid to ask her.&nbsp; On top of the feminine hygiene discussion, we got to discuss why it is important to stay in school and why it’s wrong for a male authority figure, like a teacher, to rape or coerce girls into sex… things no one tells them!&nbsp; It was such a loud, wonderful time that we attracted a large group of primary school girls passing by on their way home.&nbsp; Once the Secondary School girls filed out yelling about what they learned, the Primary School girls rushed in to fill the space, yelling and cheering themselves, for an unexpected third lecture.&nbsp; It was so fun!&nbsp; Throughout the afternoon we got the message to well over 100 young girls.&nbsp; How freaking awesome!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R3CZuEXrUBU/URZBq6vRKFI/AAAAAAAAAc4/ZzAngpoI1eI/s1600/IMG_2445a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R3CZuEXrUBU/URZBq6vRKFI/AAAAAAAAAc4/ZzAngpoI1eI/s320/IMG_2445a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth explaining about women's monthly visitor...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdRtgQkE_AM/URZBslYyDHI/AAAAAAAAAdA/O87EB0lmsno/s1600/IMG_2450a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdRtgQkE_AM/URZBslYyDHI/AAAAAAAAAdA/O87EB0lmsno/s320/IMG_2450a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth making women's monthly visitor a fun game!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yApzK8HSbI/URZCNoZN0eI/AAAAAAAAAdI/68jgfXK09uM/s1600/IMG_2453a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yApzK8HSbI/URZCNoZN0eI/AAAAAAAAAdI/68jgfXK09uM/s320/IMG_2453a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in a sea of school girls!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-24971632755329964182013-02-09T02:24:00.000-08:002013-02-09T02:24:00.144-08:00The Great Zambian Safari Adventure!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I apologize profusely for being so negligent with this blog and late in posting a lot of important things, which I know you are biting your nails in anticipation to read about. &nbsp;Let's start with Rob and my vacation to Zambia for Christmas. &nbsp;Let's just say, top ten best vacations ever.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We started out at Lusaka, where there are malls and 3D movie theaters. &nbsp;We went nuts on the faux First World. &nbsp;In real life I have about an hour a month where I can stand shopping for clothes. &nbsp;I hate shopping. &nbsp;Apparently, those one hours per month have accumulated while I've been here, so I went on a marathon shopping spree, got my hair cut, my back massaged, my toes pedicured. &nbsp;We saw Life of Pi and The Hobit in 3D, no expense spared on popcorn, nachos, and movie candy. &nbsp;We had sushi at every meal it was available. &nbsp;Pretty much, awesome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moved onto Livingstonia, home of Victoria Falls. &nbsp;Went whitewater rafting, where I almost drowned on the first rapid, pet cheetahs and lions, swam to the edge of the falls, went on a booze cruise, ate our weight in seafood for our Christmas Favorite Things Feast, ate our weight again in pastries at a super fancy hotel for High Tea. &nbsp;Another huge win.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dRfarxeB-Y/UOal32mkYiI/AAAAAAAAAV8/R12NFD8HX2M/s1600/IMG_3032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dRfarxeB-Y/UOal32mkYiI/AAAAAAAAAV8/R12NFD8HX2M/s400/IMG_3032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Ooooh! &nbsp;Aaaaah!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T0TEafefErU/UOal97H7qTI/AAAAAAAAAWM/_UwsXMuLmsU/s1600/IMG_3039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T0TEafefErU/UOal97H7qTI/AAAAAAAAAWM/_UwsXMuLmsU/s400/IMG_3039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8MTvZMe40bU/UOamBqEmTgI/AAAAAAAAAWY/gwt2ZfYb3UE/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8MTvZMe40bU/UOamBqEmTgI/AAAAAAAAAWY/gwt2ZfYb3UE/s400/IMG_3049.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob swam to the edge of the Falls! I chickened out!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7g_bQCYfrQM/UOamGCy634I/AAAAAAAAAWk/4yGvvICqza8/s1600/IMG_3085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7g_bQCYfrQM/UOamGCy634I/AAAAAAAAAWk/4yGvvICqza8/s400/IMG_3085.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was lots o rain. &nbsp;And lots of mud in the water...</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;Booze Cruise on Christmas Day:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6it6D7J6U8M/UOamVgxNu9I/AAAAAAAAAXE/dqNtuUPuPUk/s1600/IMG_3169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6it6D7J6U8M/UOamVgxNu9I/AAAAAAAAAXE/dqNtuUPuPUk/s400/IMG_3169.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2XT5VAbKXwM/UOamdbavEPI/AAAAAAAAAXU/QYftkPWxSMM/s1600/IMG_3175.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2XT5VAbKXwM/UOamdbavEPI/AAAAAAAAAXU/QYftkPWxSMM/s400/IMG_3175.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w9cFKYBt6vA/UOamiQu84sI/AAAAAAAAAXk/kQMvFUExkoo/s1600/IMG_3204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w9cFKYBt6vA/UOamiQu84sI/AAAAAAAAAXk/kQMvFUExkoo/s320/IMG_3204.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Robert: "Stacey, its not a race"<br />Me: "Yes. It is."</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaZkJRM_ONs/UOamPmIrHxI/AAAAAAAAAWw/rZNVHWsGO94/s1600/IMG_3094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaZkJRM_ONs/UOamPmIrHxI/AAAAAAAAAWw/rZNVHWsGO94/s400/IMG_3094.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Booze cruise sightings</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RZlX8DAL2qs/UOamQj5X8zI/AAAAAAAAAW4/MZ86LtIRBdM/s1600/IMG_3089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RZlX8DAL2qs/UOamQj5X8zI/AAAAAAAAAW4/MZ86LtIRBdM/s400/IMG_3089.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YMP_8gO1PoI/UOamyoQvrkI/AAAAAAAAAX8/hPNiKn0JMWU/s1600/IMG_3218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YMP_8gO1PoI/UOamyoQvrkI/AAAAAAAAAX8/hPNiKn0JMWU/s400/IMG_3218.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />And my most favoritest part! &nbsp;The Cheetah Walk plus surprise lion encounter!:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-50inzUZ_H3Y/UOal0zsLgXI/AAAAAAAAAV0/BwnXSWsXry8/s1600/IMG_2893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-50inzUZ_H3Y/UOal0zsLgXI/AAAAAAAAAV0/BwnXSWsXry8/s400/IMG_2893.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IQnjy0Ry20Q/UOanRTc2GLI/AAAAAAAAAYk/hsXC3N4x5Zg/s1600/IMG_2748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IQnjy0Ry20Q/UOanRTc2GLI/AAAAAAAAAYk/hsXC3N4x5Zg/s400/IMG_2748.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--X3UHhPp6Hk/UOanbs55zuI/AAAAAAAAAYs/W9KGLn8OKC8/s1600/IMG_2757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--X3UHhPp6Hk/UOanbs55zuI/AAAAAAAAAYs/W9KGLn8OKC8/s400/IMG_2757.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NkpCmnlQckE/UOan8Qmqx3I/AAAAAAAAAZU/FbS02ASgGAA/s1600/IMG_2807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NkpCmnlQckE/UOan8Qmqx3I/AAAAAAAAAZU/FbS02ASgGAA/s400/IMG_2807.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y2tG84sSilw/UOalh9begeI/AAAAAAAAAVU/wkz8_M4YQtA/s1600/IMG_2964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y2tG84sSilw/UOalh9begeI/AAAAAAAAAVU/wkz8_M4YQtA/s320/IMG_2964.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VkW0QaN2O0o/UOalo-Y4ZLI/AAAAAAAAAVk/5Wdxlhi0zeU/s1600/IMG_2965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VkW0QaN2O0o/UOalo-Y4ZLI/AAAAAAAAAVk/5Wdxlhi0zeU/s320/IMG_2965.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fPYYb-ejyxU/UOaoK7aSjeI/AAAAAAAAAZk/ij1fyZ85TRU/s1600/IMG_2867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fPYYb-ejyxU/UOaoK7aSjeI/AAAAAAAAAZk/ij1fyZ85TRU/s400/IMG_2867.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2_b9Kt7NXBM/UOal5n0C93I/AAAAAAAAAWE/HqcBHSlMLIE/s1600/IMG_2997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2_b9Kt7NXBM/UOal5n0C93I/AAAAAAAAAWE/HqcBHSlMLIE/s320/IMG_2997.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">White male lion loving on his girlfriend</td></tr></tbody></table>And Rob's favorite, whitewater rafting on the Zambezi. &nbsp;It is known as the best 1-day rafting trip in the world:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WpL8HztUMv0/URYhFQGR9dI/AAAAAAAAAak/WANfbOU2njQ/s1600/IMG_4724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WpL8HztUMv0/URYhFQGR9dI/AAAAAAAAAak/WANfbOU2njQ/s400/IMG_4724.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the starting line. &nbsp;Luckily, our new friend on the left over there is a doctor.<br />Just something to ease our minds for the coming turbulence.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O65iO_AWmBE/URYg5jETWBI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/5RE_MFs4P4w/s1600/IMG_4733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O65iO_AWmBE/URYg5jETWBI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/5RE_MFs4P4w/s400/IMG_4733.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bridge overlooking the Zambezi, where our adventure begins</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QN3WsR98A3Q/URYhDWHznGI/AAAAAAAAAac/S4gd9NYkzTQ/s1600/IMG_4798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QN3WsR98A3Q/URYhDWHznGI/AAAAAAAAAac/S4gd9NYkzTQ/s400/IMG_4798.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me. Drowning. <br />Rob said after I fell out this first rapid (a Class 5)&nbsp;I was under <br />for almost 25 seconds, as the current pulled me down and water<br />continuously poured over my head as I struggled. &nbsp;Not fun.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bk27nfZLP0g/URYhO-thBMI/AAAAAAAAAas/xZjE9p-vzYk/s1600/IMG_4802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bk27nfZLP0g/URYhO-thBMI/AAAAAAAAAas/xZjE9p-vzYk/s400/IMG_4802.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice man named Baby Face saved me in his kayak.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k_zHmnepfMc/URYhyS6RjoI/AAAAAAAAAa8/6xfnCcZcNfU/s1600/IMG_4854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k_zHmnepfMc/URYhyS6RjoI/AAAAAAAAAa8/6xfnCcZcNfU/s400/IMG_4854.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we go!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_k2QlwMB6U/URYhmwJ8PCI/AAAAAAAAAa0/5Yy8nwuHUq4/s1600/IMG_4855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_k2QlwMB6U/URYhmwJ8PCI/AAAAAAAAAa0/5Yy8nwuHUq4/s400/IMG_4855.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Controlled drowning...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIQtMEpRqYE/URYhzbLvddI/AAAAAAAAAbE/59do9DQepWQ/s1600/IMG_4998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIQtMEpRqYE/URYhzbLvddI/AAAAAAAAAbE/59do9DQepWQ/s400/IMG_4998.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We win!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rounded it all off with a 2-day safari with 5 other PC Malawi friends:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O8h3glg1jxU/UOalMiBq_5I/AAAAAAAAAUg/SLKy1JT3LPc/s1600/IMG_3357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O8h3glg1jxU/UOalMiBq_5I/AAAAAAAAAUg/SLKy1JT3LPc/s400/IMG_3357.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The heavens are about to open up over our safari jeep. &nbsp;But we won't quit.<br />Peace Corps Safari X -treme!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IWBNqm-qHTo/UOakn24_otI/AAAAAAAAATY/VX9nv0dmpHs/s1600/IMG_3445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IWBNqm-qHTo/UOakn24_otI/AAAAAAAAATY/VX9nv0dmpHs/s400/IMG_3445.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hyena hiding in the bush... but we seeeeeeee you!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vaL4vXc78Dg/UOakz3foSOI/AAAAAAAAAT0/bVGEVgZhkkw/s1600/IMG_3477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vaL4vXc78Dg/UOakz3foSOI/AAAAAAAAAT0/bVGEVgZhkkw/s400/IMG_3477.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt8a7lWzIAg/UOakv1xQD-I/AAAAAAAAATo/JOb6EpcY6e8/s1600/IMG_3432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt8a7lWzIAg/UOakv1xQD-I/AAAAAAAAATo/JOb6EpcY6e8/s400/IMG_3432.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey Bridge leading into the park.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ewTw65xRXlM/UOaknSUJbII/AAAAAAAAATU/NiYZd2YF3aw/s1600/IMG_3452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="361" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ewTw65xRXlM/UOaknSUJbII/AAAAAAAAATU/NiYZd2YF3aw/s400/IMG_3452.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momma lion with buffalo blood on her chin. &nbsp;Yum.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gz6OvOWICL8/UOak4zjV3vI/AAAAAAAAAT8/PM5sceDjPsc/s1600/IMG_3504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gz6OvOWICL8/UOak4zjV3vI/AAAAAAAAAT8/PM5sceDjPsc/s400/IMG_3504.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sCwyWZQwj9g/UOalCDWVz2I/AAAAAAAAAUI/0bPGS4moMfY/s1600/IMG_3530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sCwyWZQwj9g/UOalCDWVz2I/AAAAAAAAAUI/0bPGS4moMfY/s400/IMG_3530.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JC7Gczeblss/UOalCKoa9lI/AAAAAAAAAUE/FKK-E1yTpTc/s1600/IMG_3328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JC7Gczeblss/UOalCKoa9lI/AAAAAAAAAUE/FKK-E1yTpTc/s400/IMG_3328.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I liked the baby animals the best.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bBFBOeGbsNI/UOalMdeS0zI/AAAAAAAAAUc/LOOh6yUpsaI/s1600/IMG_3347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bBFBOeGbsNI/UOalMdeS0zI/AAAAAAAAAUc/LOOh6yUpsaI/s400/IMG_3347.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TBvx46g8DfA/UOalD8W1DRI/AAAAAAAAAUU/4PPkh_s6m3U/s1600/IMG_3342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TBvx46g8DfA/UOalD8W1DRI/AAAAAAAAAUU/4PPkh_s6m3U/s320/IMG_3342.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild dog hunt! &nbsp;Apparently only 1% of visitors spot these guys.<br />Get it?! Spot!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wxFtmp6GtE/UOalNYVFi2I/AAAAAAAAAUk/z-KmcsCjKkc/s1600/IMG_3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wxFtmp6GtE/UOalNYVFi2I/AAAAAAAAAUk/z-KmcsCjKkc/s320/IMG_3368.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albino baby monkey on mommy monkey!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxlXdECxVy4/UOalTtjnC8I/AAAAAAAAAU0/Bs6gycMvwAo/s1600/IMG_3406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxlXdECxVy4/UOalTtjnC8I/AAAAAAAAAU0/Bs6gycMvwAo/s400/IMG_3406.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pD45MvAbJPo/UOalU8H2ssI/AAAAAAAAAU8/qy7d96Zabns/s1600/IMG_3407a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pD45MvAbJPo/UOalU8H2ssI/AAAAAAAAAU8/qy7d96Zabns/s320/IMG_3407a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bSpOyVkzku8/UOamvUHpbjI/AAAAAAAAAX0/NQNAWvdVZgM/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bSpOyVkzku8/UOamvUHpbjI/AAAAAAAAAX0/NQNAWvdVZgM/s400/IMG_3310.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant doing a funny dance!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o9kEInvDTzY/UOalVjQkLhI/AAAAAAAAAVA/PPbym3wpd-0/s1600/IMG_3389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o9kEInvDTzY/UOalVjQkLhI/AAAAAAAAAVA/PPbym3wpd-0/s400/IMG_3389.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safari sunset!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--EqxnwMv66w/UOalXQq_mSI/AAAAAAAAAVM/hNIaQ7-5uTw/s1600/IMG_3427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--EqxnwMv66w/UOalXQq_mSI/AAAAAAAAAVM/hNIaQ7-5uTw/s320/IMG_3427.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted a leopard on our night drive! &nbsp;Hey, get it again?!? Spotted!?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jealous? You should come with us next time!</div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-26008020039416197162012-12-10T09:17:00.000-08:002012-12-10T09:17:00.557-08:00Practicing Photographing Wildlife<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_2059583700"></span><span id="goog_2059583701"></span><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X-rknOKv-aw/UMDQzh9qQ6I/AAAAAAAAAS0/VMVcQC4He-0/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X-rknOKv-aw/UMDQzh9qQ6I/AAAAAAAAAS0/VMVcQC4He-0/s320/IMG_2563.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug's Puppy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-67275737490810393252012-12-09T09:14:00.000-08:002012-12-09T09:14:00.563-08:00Experimenting with Blurry Background<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0cW1Nd0j-g/UMDRXfqdAyI/AAAAAAAAAS8/QvFCp6ugwKM/s1600/IMG_2588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0cW1Nd0j-g/UMDRXfqdAyI/AAAAAAAAAS8/QvFCp6ugwKM/s320/IMG_2588.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">tots did it on accident.</div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-83449723726067271652012-12-07T08:45:00.000-08:002012-12-07T08:45:00.285-08:00Experimenting with Landscape and Light<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's hard. Can't really figure out how to make them work together very well yet...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1301qPHEJQ/UMDPD2VVAnI/AAAAAAAAASc/9_PoKNk7p0Y/s1600/IMG_2527+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1301qPHEJQ/UMDPD2VVAnI/AAAAAAAAASc/9_PoKNk7p0Y/s320/IMG_2527+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dude's house.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apLN2rDm3JQ/UMDPnybJHjI/AAAAAAAAASk/v0Z_7KdONwk/s1600/IMG_2549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apLN2rDm3JQ/UMDPnybJHjI/AAAAAAAAASk/v0Z_7KdONwk/s320/IMG_2549.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kandoli Mountains</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NGoG84Q9h-o/UMDQGYOsayI/AAAAAAAAASs/69pGjiOLKg0/s1600/IMG_2552.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NGoG84Q9h-o/UMDQGYOsayI/AAAAAAAAASs/69pGjiOLKg0/s320/IMG_2552.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-29601370774036400812012-12-06T09:37:00.000-08:002012-12-06T09:37:00.114-08:00My Next Door Neighbor's House on Laundry Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CDPe9NbaZl0/ULuQkSuEkKI/AAAAAAAAASA/NQES_RbZ-zA/s1600/IMG_2470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CDPe9NbaZl0/ULuQkSuEkKI/AAAAAAAAASA/NQES_RbZ-zA/s320/IMG_2470.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-48768972657130056962012-12-05T09:34:00.000-08:002012-12-05T09:34:00.572-08:0030 Day Challenge - Round 4: Picture Safari!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">It’s December, you know what that means?!&nbsp; PRESENTS!&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This year I’m giving myself a trip to Zambia.&nbsp; Beat that!&nbsp; Plan is to spend a week going from the capitol, Lusaka, to Victoria Falls, then the last 4 days of vacation on SAFARI!!! I actually think I’m most excited to spend some time in Lusaka.&nbsp; They have THREE malls there!&nbsp; With multilevel parking garages!&nbsp; I don’t even like malls!&nbsp; But Rob is in desperate need of new clothes and I just might get myself a pedicure.&nbsp; I’d LOVE to get my nasty Africa feet into the hands of a professional… I’ll tip well.&nbsp; We’re gonna go see a movie in a movie theater with popcorn, and get Thai food, ice cream, a Subway sandwich (they have Subway there!&nbsp; It’s a novelty to me.)&nbsp; It’s been 6 months already since Europe with the fam, I could use a little faux-First World action.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">To prepare for the trip, the safari specifically, I’m gonna brush up on my picture-taking skills, of which I have none. This month’s 30-day challenge is to study up on digital photography, maybe some editing, and take at least one decent picture a day.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Today’s pic:<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8wIt0QFerK4/ULuQrZUVKyI/AAAAAAAAASI/9bQbi4KreMo/s1600/IMG_2484+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8wIt0QFerK4/ULuQrZUVKyI/AAAAAAAAASI/9bQbi4KreMo/s320/IMG_2484+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My running route</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-66662007356504909492012-12-04T13:16:00.000-08:002012-12-04T13:16:00.506-08:00Thanksgiving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Rob and I hiked up to Lukwe to meet our buddies Renee and Trason for Thanksgiving.&nbsp; Steak and wine!!!&nbsp; Small, intimate, lots of thankful dinner toasts, took some naps.&nbsp; Just a lovely time.<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What I was thankful for on Thanksgiving, after a few glasses of wine:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Loving parents<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Health and the ability to climb the mountain we’d climbed to get to steak<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Steak<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The guy who stopped in his car driving down the mountain and gave us bottles of water, which we’d run out of, and a bag of potato chips<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">My beautiful site and wonderful life in Malawi<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Doug and Kitty<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Good friends to share the wine with<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Having Rob in my life<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">And finally, we’ll be going home soon<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So thus concludes November’s 30-day challenge.&nbsp; I ended up really appreciating having to write 3 gratitude’s a day.&nbsp; It made me really take notice of something in my day when I realized I was grateful for it, because I knew I’d have to write it down later.&nbsp; And I’d have to take special care in noticing things I was grateful for, because by the end of the month it was definitely hard to write down three things which I’d hadn’t mentioned before.&nbsp; It was actually really cool!&nbsp; I think I’ll try to keep doing it.&nbsp; I was forced to skip a few days in my journal writing/gratitude lists because of the crash and unexpected excursion to Lilongwe, days which I had to make up when I returned to my journal.&nbsp; But here are a few honorable mentions from the latter half of the month: <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">November 19:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Getting phone calls from home<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2.&nbsp; The feeling of being fresh and clean after a shower, especially if then you get into a bed with newly cleaned sheets!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Glasses of wine at night<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">November 21:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Exceptional teachers teaching very important things (blog post about teaching a feminine hygiene workshop to come)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Open minds and receptive students<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Beautiful views you’re compelled to just stare at<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">November 24:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Our unbelievable luck in our spill over the ditch, that it wasn’t any more serious<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Frozen chicken and advil<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Mr. Tewu and his drivers (the guys who came to the rescue)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">November 25:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Making it to a final destination. Ahhhhh!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Chinese food feasts<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Air conditioning <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">4. Ice cream (I was feeling especially thankful this day)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">November 29:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Fans at night, I like the white noise<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. I guess I’m actually thankful for the UN vote to allow Palestine in as an observer member.&nbsp; That Israel-Palestinian war is just ridiculous.&nbsp; It’s about time someone did something productive about it, even if it is just a symbolic move.&nbsp; It’s still pretty major.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. &nbsp;Getting into bed after a long day.&nbsp; Sometimes, that’s why I wake up in the morning - so that I can get back in bed at night!&nbsp; Such a great feeling!<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-59343791159322886042012-12-01T12:22:00.003-08:002012-12-01T12:22:48.847-08:00And Jill Came Tumbling After...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">So if you didn’t know already from facebook or word-of-parents’-mouth, I was in a car accident a week ago.&nbsp; No serious injuries, but it was still pretty ugly.&nbsp; Just in case a PC Malawi admin happens to be an avid follower of this blog, I’m gonna leave out a few details to protect the innocent.&nbsp; But they probably aren’t or I’d have been kicked out by now for being out of site illegally for practically half my service.&nbsp; But, just in case…<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I was coming home from a lovely Thanksgiving at Lukwe.&nbsp; There’s usually only one car going home on Saturdays and none on Sundays.&nbsp; So, it being Saturday, I was anxious to get to Mzuzu on time to catch it.&nbsp; Luckily (well, unluckily in hindsight), I was having fantastic hitching luck.&nbsp; Grade A hitching, dude.&nbsp; Get to Mzuzu right on time.&nbsp; But the pick-up scheduled to make the trek is PACKED. &nbsp;We’re used to unsafely packed motor vehicles over here, and usually board them without a second though, but this was nuts by any standard.&nbsp; Even my buddy the Reverend (who, as it happens, was also with me on my last major Chikwina transport adventure when we broke down in the rain in the middle of the night and had to hike 10km in the mud) was saying he’d probably sit this one out and wait until Monday if a second car wasn’t recruited.&nbsp; Smart man, that one.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyway, I cram myself in between a man and a woman with her baby.&nbsp; I manage to keep myself from drowning in the stacks of maize sacks and buckets and keep my head clear of the sheet metal strapped on top of the truck.&nbsp; Katundu is everywhere, with people on top, standing wherever they could fit a single foot or sitting on top of the cab.&nbsp; I raise my eyebrows as they try to shove even MORE people into the truck bed.&nbsp; I actually say out loud, “wait, this is crazy…”&nbsp; If your gut is telling you something is crazy so loudly that your mouth says it too, it’s probably crazy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The old scrap-metal truck can’t take it.&nbsp; First, it refuses to start.&nbsp; Then, hills prove to be such a struggle that bicyclists are passing us (at this point, the driver is getting jeers from his passengers).&nbsp; This is exacerbated by the fact that our goodwill from other countries since Joyce Banda has taken the presidency has run out, along with their supply of goodwill petrol.&nbsp; We’re back to petrol crisis mode and drivers refuse to put more petrol into their tanks than is absolutely necessary (or even less than necessary, which might have added to this particular journey’s downfall).&nbsp; Thus, it takes us an hour to go fifteen km.&nbsp; 25km to go.&nbsp; We’re all dying in the back, being choked to death by the discomfort of numb feet and butts and a newfound hatred of everything.&nbsp; It’s gonna be a long ride.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, FINALLY we all sigh in relief as we pass over a bridge that marks the last leg of the trip.&nbsp; 5km to go and one hill.&nbsp; One single hill!&nbsp; It’s a notorious hill, however, with switchbacks, sheer drops off the road, and a particularly steep turn.&nbsp; Last year in rainy season I thought that one turn would be the end of me as we slid uncontrollably in the mud down it (that was the LAST time I traveled out of site in rainy season in a village car, thank you very much).&nbsp; Well, as you can imagine, the Little Engine that Could just couldn’t.&nbsp; We stalled on the uphill, and lucky us, the brakes weren’t working.&nbsp; We rolled backwards, just slowly enough that everyone could work up a good panic as we saw the edge of a 10-foot ditch approach.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The men that were standing desperately tried to scramble out, but there wasn’t time.&nbsp; Everyone else was too wedged in to even move.&nbsp; I remember hearing screaming women and apparently (I was informed after the fact) I said something intelligent like “Oh. Shit.” I saw the right back tire take a sudden dip over the edge and that’s all I remember until I was trying to stand up (memory loss courtesy of my Brand New Concussion!).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">People were everywhere, sprawled out on the ground, on top of each other, yelling each other’s names, covered in glass.&nbsp; One old lady found herself on the bottom of a dog pile and looked like she couldn’t move, someone screaming her name.&nbsp; I thought the worst, but she was just stunned and managed to get herself up.&nbsp; I think she ended up with a broken hand.&nbsp; The mom and baby sitting next to me were perfectly fine, having landed on the top of the old-lady-dog-pile.&nbsp; Another lady seemed to have been thrown during the fall and had to be hauled out, I think with a broken arm or rib.&nbsp; A small boy, maybe 8 years old, definitely had it the worst.&nbsp; He face planted when we went down. &nbsp;Both eyes, his right cheek, and a massive bump on his head swelled up immediately.&nbsp; I mean a massive bump, like a second head.&nbsp; Unbelievably (well, I’m sure it was just major shock), he just pulled himself up onto a ledge and sat there, not making a sound the whole time.&nbsp; That is, until we tried to get him into a car going to the hospital.&nbsp; He was NOT ok with getting into a car that didn’t lead to home.&nbsp; I’ve never SEEN such a tantrum.&nbsp; That poor little kid, man!&nbsp; Luckily, I had splurged in Mzuzu on some frozen chicken, which he held to his face to ease the swelling.&nbsp; Also had some advil to pass out for people in the most pain and THANK THE LORD BABY JESUS the health center’s medical assistant was in the truck too and was able to perform African Bush First Aid a hell of a lot better than I could, with my expired lifeguarding credentials… and a concussion.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/28061_10100190686564417_1167078094_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/28061_10100190686564417_1167078094_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I got off pretty easy.&nbsp; Just a bruised cut to the leg, some scrapes, and a cut on my foot from stepping in glass, whiplash and a small head injury.&nbsp; I wasn’t worried about the head injury until my vision went blurry and I got nauseous and after a call to a PC nurse friend who said I shouldn’t go to sleep or be alone.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Help arrived unbelievably quickly to the scene.&nbsp; Two MUCH better trucks came to the rescue from Chikwina faster than any ambulance response I’ve ever heard of in America.&nbsp; We were trucked up to the Chikwina Health Center within fifteen minutes, where the Nurse was already waiting.&nbsp; Then the really injured people were loaded up and taken to Mzuzu Hospital.&nbsp; The Peace Corps Med Office bade me stay overnight in the hospital and then called me to Lilongwe the next day for a CT scan and a neurological exam (both clean.&nbsp; But let me tell you, the LAST thing you want to do after an accident, sore from whiplash and jonesing for your own bed, is get in a crowded African bus for 5 hours.&nbsp; MAN, that sucked hard).&nbsp; I went back to the scene later to take a picture, but they'd already hauled it out. &nbsp;I'd draw a picture, but my artistry is abysmal.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We got really lucky though.&nbsp; Really Freaking Lucky.&nbsp; That crash could have been so much worse.&nbsp; We could have rolled off the other side of the road, which leads into a deep valley, in which case we would have rolled and all died.&nbsp; The ditch was perfectly truck-shaped, but if we were going any faster, the truck could have easily tipped over to rest on the other side of the cliff and trapped us. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The worst part by FAR was just how insanely shaken up and scared I was.&nbsp; I was crazy shaking after the accident, from shock.&nbsp; But after that, I refused to think or feel anything about it until a few days later, in Lilongwe.&nbsp; I mean, we talked and debriefed and exchanged thoughts on it, but eventually, when I was far enough away from the incident, physically and chronologically, I was overwhelmed by my feelings of lack of control over the whole situation.&nbsp; Just total helplessness.&nbsp; I couldn’t chose my transport method.&nbsp; It was that matola or wait another two days to go home, and even then, I still might be in the same situation.&nbsp; There was no phone service, no way to call 911, no option for a seat belt, no way to free myself from a doomed car once in motion, completely at the mercy of the man driving up a road that isn't a road, just a dirt path, in a car that could barely handle tarmac.&nbsp; And this is every time I have to leave or come back to site. &nbsp;It's enough to send you into a panic every time. &nbsp;And after all that, I'm STILL not in control of my own existence. &nbsp;I was informed by the Med Office that I WILL go to Mzuzu for observation, I WILL come to Lilongwe for a head scan.&nbsp; Fine, I probably would do that in America.&nbsp; But that's another story. &nbsp;Going to the hospital in America is a walk in the park. &nbsp;Do you understand how hard it is physically and emotionally to travel 40km back down to Mzuzu, and then another 5 hours in a bus to the nearest passable health care?&nbsp; I knew I was fine, I just wanted to go home. &nbsp;But&nbsp;I, again, had no control over my transport and no control over my healthcare, which was impossibly far away.&nbsp; I know this is a Malawian’s reality, it’s all they have, no other option.&nbsp; Which is terrible.&nbsp; But if this crash had been serious, it would have been devastating.&nbsp; And there was nothing anyone could have done about it.&nbsp; If my injuries had been any worse I would STILL have to make that same 2-day journey to Lilongwe. &nbsp;And that scares the hell out of me. &nbsp;Probably also scared the waiter at the chinese restaurant, where I finally broke down and started crying at the table while he was trying to take my order.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Something to be thankful for in America - more control over our own disasters.<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-41665088563880661922012-11-26T00:45:00.000-08:002012-11-26T00:45:00.081-08:00#7 Doug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">I wasn’t too happy with Malawi today.&nbsp; I couldn’t come up with something to love about it because I was just too finished with it already.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But then Doug jumped through the window.&nbsp; This is normal.&nbsp; The window is his dog door.&nbsp; He jumped in with his dopey doggy face and his floppy ears and his tail wagging mightily upon seeing me.&nbsp; He was so happy I was home!&nbsp; All he wanted in this world at that moment was to lick my leg, have his ears scratched and pass out at my feet.&nbsp; Well, Doug is in Malawi.&nbsp; And I love Doug.&nbsp; So, there you have it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Doug through the ages:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCfO9jbpY-M/TiPwy3GwrfI/AAAAAAAAAG4/hkfWpATiwAM/s1600/P1030508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCfO9jbpY-M/TiPwy3GwrfI/AAAAAAAAAG4/hkfWpATiwAM/s320/P1030508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bopa'ing Doug to the vet as a little puppy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TnX7huagTcw/TiPs2uGherI/AAAAAAAAAGg/auAm_Y4GjmI/s1600/P1030567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TnX7huagTcw/TiPs2uGherI/AAAAAAAAAGg/auAm_Y4GjmI/s320/P1030567.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was such a little munchkin!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XsrOscSPM4Q/UCo3aC1tX8I/AAAAAAAAALk/mMQJrRpqEpw/s1600/P1030774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XsrOscSPM4Q/UCo3aC1tX8I/AAAAAAAAALk/mMQJrRpqEpw/s320/P1030774.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My baby, all growed up</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngI1O968Mtk/UCo28-28N2I/AAAAAAAAALc/pStx8ARkpNM/s1600/P1030590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngI1O968Mtk/UCo28-28N2I/AAAAAAAAALc/pStx8ARkpNM/s320/P1030590.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My happy little Africa family!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-9164380085312436522012-11-23T00:36:00.000-08:002012-11-23T00:36:00.346-08:00#6 Lake Malawi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">I was snorkeling in the lake this morning watching the bright little fishies do their mating dances when I was struck by how freaking lucky I am to be doing this.&nbsp; The lake is unbelievable!&nbsp; Don’t believe me?&nbsp; A few years ago National Geographic named Lake Malawi the most beautiful lake in the world.&nbsp; And those guys know their lakes!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jVQwagtmg1w/UKnq-i5-ZEI/AAAAAAAAARs/sGDfoLEuPLY/s1600/P1030298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jVQwagtmg1w/UKnq-i5-ZEI/AAAAAAAAARs/sGDfoLEuPLY/s320/P1030298.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a passing view. <br />I'll put up more later to attempt to do the lake justice.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;The colors are so bright it’s like their irreverent of any of the other colors.&nbsp; Especially those boastful blues.&nbsp; They have every reason to be boastful, the rest of the color wheel doesn’t even stand a chance.&nbsp; You could be in the ugliest part of&nbsp; Malawi, but if you’re in sight of the lake, the scenery is instantly gorgeous.&nbsp; And the waters are warm and so clear!&nbsp; I learned to scuba dive in them without a wet suit, it was so warm, even 15 meters down and at night. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do not have the words of the narrative ability to eulogize the lake as it deserves. &nbsp;But I will at least&nbsp;always remember the first time I camped on the beach and woke up for the sunrise over the lake.&nbsp; It was insane!&nbsp; And our first bonfire that turned into a mass night swim.&nbsp; And playing Frisbee in the shallows and drinking wine with our toes in the water and running on the beach with Doug when he was a puppy.&nbsp; And bathing and doing dishes in the lake as the sun sets behind the mountains.&nbsp; It feels more natural and calming than anything in the world.&nbsp; I can’t imagine what my service would be like if it weren’t for the lake.&nbsp; There would be a lot less to love about Malawi and we’d have to get really creative with our time-outs and get-aways from the village.&nbsp; Just being near the lake is like breathing again.&nbsp; I want to give it a hug!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Way to go, God!&nbsp; You really outdid yourself with this one!<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-52654177154212654632012-11-21T00:21:00.000-08:002012-11-21T00:21:00.141-08:00#5 My Little Corner of Heaven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">My little village of Chikwina is really my own little corner of Heaven.&nbsp; I just love it here.&nbsp; I can’t describe how beautiful it is up here in the mountains.&nbsp; You’ll have to just come and see it for yourself.&nbsp; Just my walk to school is breathtaking (literally and figuratively, that is NOT an easy walk to make).&nbsp; I mean, this place really is of the highest caliber.&nbsp; The air is pristine, there’s no traffic, all the food is grown locally by my neighbors, the kids are respectful (mostly) and helpful.&nbsp; My favorite time to walk around the village is late afternoon.&nbsp; That’s pretty much social hour here, but it’s also cooler and the light is the prettiest (well, tied for first with early morning).&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">But what I really LOVE is walking around in all this beauty and knowing everyone’s name.&nbsp; Well, a good portion of names.&nbsp; It’s this unbelievable feeling of camaraderie to walk to the market and call out “how are you Mr. Phiri!” or “good afternoon, Mr. Banda!” or “hey, Darlington, are you selling honey today?”&nbsp; It’s like a freaking episode of Leave it to Beaver, but set in Africa.&nbsp; It’s great knowing who to ask for eggs or charcoal and who sells the best tomatoes.&nbsp; I feel like I’ve got “the in”.&nbsp; I wish this were still common in America.&nbsp; It really is something to feel good about – the cliché suburban neighborhood.&nbsp; It’s the ultimate warm-fuzzy feeling.<o:p></o:p></div><br /> <div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NpUTWfZ5qKM/UKnoiFKaaHI/AAAAAAAAARQ/gDlSd3sFBjI/s1600/IMG_2435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NpUTWfZ5qKM/UKnoiFKaaHI/AAAAAAAAARQ/gDlSd3sFBjI/s320/IMG_2435.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my way to school</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLXHf-g3Xxk/UKno8ie6KeI/AAAAAAAAARY/3ps5rrZzEJU/s1600/P1030889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLXHf-g3Xxk/UKno8ie6KeI/AAAAAAAAARY/3ps5rrZzEJU/s320/P1030889.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Chikwina sunset</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-25906293657003178902012-11-18T23:57:00.000-08:002012-11-18T23:57:55.474-08:00Daily Gratitude Lists<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">So far it’s about half way through November - gratitude month.&nbsp; Of the positivity training requirements, I’ve only really been good about writing in my journal daily.&nbsp; It hasn’t had much of an effect on my positivity since I haven’t been good at adhering to the practices.&nbsp; Mostly, I only workout every other day and then I only meditate after I work out.&nbsp; And my random acts of kindness don’t really happen because after school is usually when I hide in my house until late afternoon as to avoid being laughed – doesn’t leave a lot of time for me to do nice things randomly for others…so I’m pretty behind on bettering myself.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But my journal entries including what’s been going on, my gratitude lists, and what I like about Malawi are pretty up-to-date.&nbsp; So, thought I’d share a sample of my daily gratitude lists from the first half of the month with you.&nbsp; Sorry if these aren’t interesting to anyone but me.&nbsp; But it IS interesting to note how these lists would be different if I were anywhere but the Third World.&nbsp; You wouldn’t think so, but I’ve found it really tough to hammer out three a day without overlapping too much and also retaining some semblance of seriousness in the project. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thursday, November 1:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Pooping, real good pooping<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Rob cooked all meals today, I got to stay out of the kitchen the whole time! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Rain water filling up all my buckets with zero effort on anyone’s part!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Friday, November 2:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Having water to flush down the toilet<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Dinner by candle light when the electricity is out<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. When the electricity comes back on<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Saturday, November 3:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Saturday morning sleep-in’s slash reading the morning away in bed<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. A newly cleaned kitchen. Ahhhhh.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Rain storms.&nbsp; I just love them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Monday, November 5:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Naps with the cat when Robert’s here to make sure the house doesn’t burn down, turn away visitors, and wake up to.&nbsp; ESPECIALLY when those naps are only like, an hour, and I wake up feeling totally refreshed.&nbsp; AND Rob’s done the dishes while I was asleep.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2.&nbsp; Rob took Kitty’s half-eaten dead mouse out of the house for me.&nbsp; And yesterday he also took out her dead snake.&nbsp; These are things I very much don’t do (and if I DO have to do them I agonize about it for hours and gag and yell whilst doing it) and I am thus immensely grateful to him.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3.&nbsp; Foot rubs. Man, good day today!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wednesday, November 7:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Good writing!!! There’s so much crap out there, I’m sure I’ve ranted about this before.&nbsp; But so many of these dumbass authors think their thoughts are worth our time!&nbsp; Like the dummy who wrote Twilight.&nbsp; Dude, if I were her I would never show my face outside again.&nbsp; Or I’d change my name and never ever mention the fact that I was the idiot mind behind that detestable series.&nbsp; After I read her dumb books my brain wanted to take a long scalding shower to scour away the dumbness.&nbsp; Anyway, it’s so nice when someone writes something truly worthwhile.&nbsp; Thank you, Barbara Kingsolver, for not writing crap.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Really delicious food, especially of the meat variety<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. The views on my walk to school<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Saturday, November 10:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Having a sibling.&nbsp; I think that’s gonna turn out to be really important.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Endorphins after a good workout<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. This freaking lake, man!&nbsp; It’s unbelievable!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sunday, November 11:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Mac and cheese.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Doug and his wagging tail<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. No traffic, no road rage, no frustrated honking.&nbsp; On the same note, no constant buzz of a refrigerator or incessant background noise of a television.&nbsp; Just humans chatting in the daytime and bugs chatting at night.&nbsp; Nothing unnecessary.&nbsp; I think the phrase I’m looking for is “peace and quiet”.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Monday, November 12:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. This house I live in that has totally become my home.&nbsp; I really love it here.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Mom and Dad for all the usual things I’m grateful for towards them<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Cool breezes after climbing tough hills on a hot day <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wednesday, November 14:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. Bug spray and mosquito nets<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Free mangos! Way to go, fruit-bearing trees, you’re awesome!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. I’m honestly grateful to be a (Western) women, I get grow and give birth to a life and then feed it from my own body.&nbsp; I think that’s really f’ing cool.&nbsp; Sucks to be a guy and miss out on that whole unique experience.&nbsp; Well, sucks to be a guy in the West, where there is increasingly fewer benefits to being a guy.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">(4. Rob.&nbsp; It IS his birthday today. Gotta give a gratitude shout out.)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Friday, November 16:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. The sunrise and sunset.&nbsp; Every time we take the time to watch them we think they’re really cool.&nbsp; But they happen every day, they’re actually happening somewhere in the world all the time, constantly!&nbsp; But we only notice them some of the time.&nbsp; It’s too bad, because, like I said, they’re really cool to watch.&nbsp; The sky puts on a daily show for us and we only think to watch if we’re not doing anything else.&nbsp; Man, Chikwina has the best freaking sunrises and sunsets.&nbsp; Grade A.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. When my kids come to my house to ask for math help<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. A solid, well-timed, well-deserved high five that validates the bonds of friendship.&nbsp; One of those that’s right on target and leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment.&nbsp; Like, that was a <i>solid</i> high five.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-65915627535588823802012-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:002012-11-16T08:00:09.208-08:00Don't Cry Over Spilled Water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Today at school we did another creative writing assignment.&nbsp; Today’s prompt had to do with Malawian sayings.&nbsp; I gave the English example of “don’t cry over spilled milk”.&nbsp; They got all excited about that because they have a similar one, except it’s “don’t cry over spilled water.”&nbsp; I have TOTALLY cried over spilled water.&nbsp; At the time it was dark out but still hot and I hate carrying water and I tripped and dropped the bucket and the bucket broke.&nbsp; Then I cried.&nbsp; That water shit it is valuable!&nbsp; You can’t water your crops with milk. You crazy?! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyway, I had them write their sayings first in the local language and then translate it to English and tell me what it meant.&nbsp; I wanted to see if Malawian sayings rhymed or had a cadence like a lot of ours do. &nbsp;A lot of the saying my students wrote are the same as our English ones.&nbsp; A bunch of students wrote “birds of a feather flock together” and “early bird gets the worm”.&nbsp; Makes me think a lot of these sayings came over with colonialists and missionaries.&nbsp; A few of them wrote “make hay while the sun shines,” which would be a very appropriate saying for Malawi…if they grew hay.&nbsp; Five bucks says they don’t know what hay is.&nbsp; The “hay” they grow is not called hay, nor is what passes for hay here translated to hay.&nbsp; They don’t grow hay.&nbsp; Here it is “grass”.&nbsp; Just grass.&nbsp; Sometimes “glass”.&nbsp; That saying is not Malawian.&nbsp; But when I brought these issues up to them, they vehemently shot me down.&nbsp; “No, no Madam!&nbsp; These are Malawian sayings!” Alright! Alright! Sheesh.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some of them, however, were more likely from their own language.&nbsp; For example, “love is in the hands”, which means you show your true feelings through your actions.&nbsp; There was also “what comes does not beat a drum”.&nbsp; My students disagreed with what this one meant, but I think it’s something to do with how many things are unexpected. &nbsp;No one could offer me good or comprehensible explanations for “it’s all fish that you catch in the net” and “even as the rain falls the smoke will not stop,” but they’re still cool.&nbsp; One interesting one was “never let a handshake pass the elbow.” I think this has something to do with how we shake hands here with our left hand supporting our right elbow to show we aren’t hiding weapons.&nbsp; There’s also “charity begins at home,” “latecomers always eat bones” (too true here), “an empty tin makes a lot of noise”, “once a thief, always a thief.”&nbsp; And the more culture-specific obscure ones: “if your friend’s bed is burning, help him stop it” (sounds better in their language), “once you cry for the rain you will also accompany the mud” (be careful what you wish for, essentially), “prevention is better than cure”, “how beautiful is the fig but alas it is filled with ants.”&nbsp; Finally, my favorite “all days are not Sunday.”<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-836046111821692492012-11-14T12:24:00.000-08:002012-11-14T12:26:43.944-08:00#4 Full Water Buckets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">When the kids come and fill my water buckets in exchange for candy.&nbsp; Man, it just warms my heart having buckets full of water that I didn’t have to carry.&nbsp; And those kids just love candy!!<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-56742085396508790862012-11-14T12:22:00.001-08:002012-11-14T12:22:17.090-08:00Health Center Building Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">Things are really starting to happen with this health center building project!&nbsp; I just received word from PC Headquarters in America that we were officially approved and should see the money by the end of next week.&nbsp; On Saturday we are choosing our contractor (from a final pool of 3 people vying for the job) and selecting our building site.&nbsp; The building site I’ve been imagining in my head looks like it’ll be a difficult place to build because we’d have to get <s>the devil </s>Escom out here to move the power lines.&nbsp; But someone suggested a site slightly up the hill from the current Health Center, where there are no other interferences and an ample amount of land and a beautiful view of Nkhata Bay.&nbsp; It would also leave the current land open to further development later.&nbsp; We’ll have to do an environmental impact survey before we approve it, but I hadn’t even thought of that area!&nbsp; The District Health Officer sent a surprise representative to approve our project and to inform us of how his office can help.&nbsp; From him we’ll get some transport for materials, help with plumbing and electrification, some amount of specialized labor and brick layers to keep the building up to code (whatever that means in Malawi).&nbsp; By the end of next week we expect to have the building site cleared and the foundation dug!&nbsp; It’s happening!!!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">The villages have come together and over the last two weeks and molded 109,000 bricks.</span><span style="text-align: left;">&nbsp; </span><span style="text-align: left;">Only 49,000 to go!</span><span style="text-align: left;">&nbsp; </span><span style="text-align: left;">Here’s some pictures of Monday’s brick burning bonanza:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cnYPaEdKdBw/UKPnnmGpsvI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UADWvFv1GUM/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cnYPaEdKdBw/UKPnnmGpsvI/AAAAAAAAAPE/UADWvFv1GUM/s320/IMG_2351.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So first they stack all the bricks so to leave <br />openings at the bottom for &nbsp;the fires</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPhabBDQBuQ/UKPoUt5es7I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/rztX3c6vANY/s1600/IMG_2354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPhabBDQBuQ/UKPoUt5es7I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/rztX3c6vANY/s320/IMG_2354.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy's stacking the bricks on the top of the structure.<br />And its a bomb picture.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rw3pUFcLwW0/UKPsAXAa6mI/AAAAAAAAAPo/ylRFXnIS8sA/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rw3pUFcLwW0/UKPsAXAa6mI/AAAAAAAAAPo/ylRFXnIS8sA/s320/IMG_2361.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Village Headman Chipayika. &nbsp;What a sweet old man, posing with his bricks!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ghiRHS6HWs/UKPtQmV_ZWI/AAAAAAAAAP0/de7G9XulLKw/s1600/IMG_2364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ghiRHS6HWs/UKPtQmV_ZWI/AAAAAAAAAP0/de7G9XulLKw/s320/IMG_2364.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then they cover the structure with mud and build huge fires <br />in the &nbsp;spaces underneath the structure.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DlcHV5AxlJU/UKPwiOP2E3I/AAAAAAAAAQE/N3VUydvZaqo/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DlcHV5AxlJU/UKPwiOP2E3I/AAAAAAAAAQE/N3VUydvZaqo/s320/IMG_2375.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd_C6ywA2C8/UKPxrTdb5DI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/qfmhqFJDB2w/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd_C6ywA2C8/UKPxrTdb5DI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/qfmhqFJDB2w/s320/IMG_2384.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a baby, named Mercy. &nbsp;She was playing in the pile of unstacked bricks. <br />They wanted me to take a picture of her&nbsp;because they were laughing that she represented<br />child labor...it WAS pretty funny.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l3fDbCKm3ZE/UKPz1FfpDNI/AAAAAAAAAQg/Vq_Eq2jfHdU/s1600/IMG_2391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l3fDbCKm3ZE/UKPz1FfpDNI/AAAAAAAAAQg/Vq_Eq2jfHdU/s320/IMG_2391.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing the mud to cover the structure</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cB2V9sjZJgQ/UKP06ZzgeMI/AAAAAAAAAQo/TdZDyOubqBE/s1600/IMG_2392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cB2V9sjZJgQ/UKP06ZzgeMI/AAAAAAAAAQo/TdZDyOubqBE/s320/IMG_2392.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoke coming up through the cracks in the giant brick super-structure.<br />The top isn't too hot yet, so they men are quickly stacking the last of the bricks.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxg6nXvWAjw/UKP2AhlQm3I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/tBZkxsAD5wU/s1600/IMG_2409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxg6nXvWAjw/UKP2AhlQm3I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/tBZkxsAD5wU/s320/IMG_2409.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7kF7oxm4k0/UKP3nmd_QcI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/cdkuaafxAlo/s1600/IMG_2414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7kF7oxm4k0/UKP3nmd_QcI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/cdkuaafxAlo/s320/IMG_2414.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy in foreground is smearing mud. &nbsp;Two oldies are stoking their fires.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ovb0a9Nj9Rs/UKPyb8AZq4I/AAAAAAAAAQY/aAf9biU4JMA/s1600/IMG_2390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ovb0a9Nj9Rs/UKPyb8AZq4I/AAAAAAAAAQY/aAf9biU4JMA/s320/IMG_2390.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRQZ95Wkjew/UKPus1UD_KI/AAAAAAAAAP8/bjLyFl9IUf0/s1600/IMG_2367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRQZ95Wkjew/UKPus1UD_KI/AAAAAAAAAP8/bjLyFl9IUf0/s320/IMG_2367.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also took some videos, for Dad. &nbsp;Can't load them though.</div><br /></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-91217424889079198492012-11-12T12:02:00.000-08:002012-11-14T10:41:54.661-08:00#3 "Yes! It is Very Simple!"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">This one isn’t specific to Malawi, but since teaching is a significant portion of my life here, it gets added to the gratitude list.&nbsp; My favorite thing about teaching math is when the students get it.&nbsp; Seeing a room full of light bulbs go off above their heads in a school bereft of actual electricity gives me such a rush! &nbsp;They’ll all nod in agreement and shout “yes! It is very simple! We are together!” It’s especially great when the concept is actually pretty difficult.&nbsp; Today we learned how to solve quadratic equations by completing the square, something I never fully understood until I taught it to my own students.&nbsp; They picked it up on the first try.&nbsp; Not to toot my own horn, but it is SUCH a feeling of accomplishment when I’ve explained something well and they really understand it!&nbsp; It’s a rare occurrence, usually they just look at me like I’m speaking another language…oh wait.&nbsp; But today, the stars aligned and squares were completed!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can see my new Form 3 students getting more comfortable with me.&nbsp; We’ve gotten into a math-class groove.&nbsp; Now they’ll see me coming down the aisle looking over their shoulders at their work and instead of giving me the evil eye like “what do YOU care what I write on my paper” they’ll shove it to the edge of their desk so I can see it better and have one-on-one’s with them.&nbsp; They understand that when I’m walking around, they’re allowed to confer with each other and consult each other’s work.&nbsp; When I stand at the front of the class and toss the chalk from one hand to the other, it’s time to shut up and see how I would solve the class work problem.&nbsp; When they get the same answer as me, fists are pumped and shoulders are slapped.&nbsp; They know I’m kidding and still think it’s funny when I tell them I’ll murder them if they forget the negative sign.&nbsp; When I ask one of them to explain to the class how they did a problem correctly, they know to explain it in the local language, to help everyone understand, not just the exceptional English speakers.&nbsp; Math class is just so much fun!&nbsp; And they’re starting to get that!&nbsp; Math doesn’t have to be the scary untouchable subject that no one understands and no teachers know how to teach!&nbsp; Of course, they’re still way behind.&nbsp; Today we also had a lot of trouble coming up with the correct answer for -2 divided by 2.&nbsp; But, hopefully, they’ll eventually invest their brains in the subject and pick it up in time for the national exams at the end of their Form 4 year.&nbsp; It might be possible!!!!<o:p></o:p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ3PPwcojAs/UKPhKv_S29I/AAAAAAAAAOg/jBP3XsFPr6w/s1600/IMG_2344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ3PPwcojAs/UKPhKv_S29I/AAAAAAAAAOg/jBP3XsFPr6w/s320/IMG_2344.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug was helping me grade math papers. <br />He doesn't have the attention span of my other students.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-25858991804263128302012-11-09T11:38:00.000-08:002012-11-09T11:38:00.420-08:00#2 Outrunning Rain Storms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">I love rainy season for so many reasons.&nbsp; For one, all bets are off.&nbsp; Staying inside all day and expecting zero human interruptions is perfectly acceptable.&nbsp; For another, I love the sound of the rain on my tin roof.&nbsp; Also, my gardens are being watered and buckets are being filled with no effort on my part.&nbsp; It’s just wonderful, the lazy person’s dream.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But sometimes, even during rainy season, some amount of responsibility is still expected of you.&nbsp; Like going to teach your classes at school.&nbsp; Rainy season isn’t like the rain in the Pacific Northwest, which is a constant rain with no end in sight.&nbsp; Malawi rainy season involves huge amounts of water hurled from the heavens above for about an hour tops, then a respite, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to hours to days.&nbsp; You can see the storms coming from miles away. &nbsp;Usually they’re blown in from the east, over the lake and pushed through the mountains.&nbsp; You can watch the clouds rolling in and swallowing up the hills as they go, turning the sky white, then gray, then black.&nbsp; It’s one of my favorite things to do here, watching the storms come in, trying to read the sky.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sometimes they come in really fast though, and all of a sudden they’re on top of you.&nbsp; You can usually gauge how much time you have to find cover by how fast the first wave of darker white clouds obscure the cell tower down at the market.&nbsp; It’s a fun game, really.&nbsp; Today I had about 5 minutes and a kilometer to go to get to school before I was completely destroyed by a massive black hole of a storm.&nbsp; It was not at all my first storm here I’ve tried to outrun. &nbsp;You’ll often find yourself miscalculating and taking refuge, soaked to the skin, in an abandoned half-roofed building with a pile of other Malawians (usually kids) who have likewise miscalculated.&nbsp; Today, my adrenaline rose along with wind and the speed of the oncoming deluge as Doug and I raced the storm cloud to school.&nbsp; We arrived just in time, me drenched with sweat instead of rain, as the buckets began to pour.&nbsp; Success!&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m reading this book right now, <i>Poisonwood Bible</i>, about a missionary family in the Congo during the 60s.&nbsp; It describes rainy season from the point of view of one of the young daughters: <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">“When the rainy season fell on us in Kilanga, it fell like a plague.&nbsp; We were warned to expect rain in October, but at the close of July – surprising no one in Kilanga but ourselves – the serene heavens above began to dump buckets.&nbsp; It rained pitchforks, as Mother says.&nbsp; It rained cats and dogs frogs bogs then it rained snakes and lizards.&nbsp; A pestilence of rain we received, the likes of which we had never seen or dreamed about in Georgia.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">…Just how I like it!<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-63072475813496762842012-11-06T11:39:00.000-08:002012-11-06T11:39:00.342-08:00#1 Greeting with a Smile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">This is just something I love love love!&nbsp; While it gets super unbearably annoying sometimes greeting every single person all the time no matter how shitty your mood is and no matter how hard it is to contort your face into a smile-grimace, the practice really is beautiful.&nbsp; I think I hate doing it half the time because it’s not something we do in the West.&nbsp; We just don’t smile as easily at each other over there.&nbsp; We like our bubbles and stop trying to make eye-contact with me, creep!&nbsp; But here, greeting comes with a smile, and not forced like mine often are, a legitimate, sincere smile that crinkles around the eyes.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Today I was walking home and started approaching a man walking in the opposite direction with a sullen expression.&nbsp; He was at an age where his skin was betraying where exactly his face would melt into a mass of wrinkles in the coming years.&nbsp; His eyes were on the ground and his mind was obviously elsewhere. &nbsp;But at the last moment, he looked up to greet me in his language, as is customary.&nbsp; Even before he saw it was me, the village white freak show, his face completely transformed into this glowing smile as if to say “this is a human being I am fortunate enough to meet on this road of all roads”.&nbsp; And, oh man, wrinkle smiles are just the best.&nbsp; More loose skin, more to smile with.&nbsp; It was just one of those smiles that your heart sees with your eyes, and you can’t help but return it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And when you’re in the right mood to see them, they’re just everywhere here!<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-70593888311197808532012-11-05T10:00:00.000-08:002012-11-05T10:00:04.690-08:0030 Day Challenge - Round 3: Gratitude<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">For November, in honor of one of my top 3 favorite holidays ever, Thanksgiving, this month will be about gratitude (the other two favorite holidays include a rotation of Passover, Sukkot, Christmas when it’s done right with a Favorite Things Feast, the occasional Halloween, and Leap Day, which isn’t considered a holiday but should be).&nbsp; I was watching a TED talk about the benefits of “positivity training”, and the concept really peaked my interest.&nbsp; Positivity training involves journaling about one thing that happened in the last 24 hours, listing three things you’re grateful for, meditating, exercising, and performing a random act of kindness every day.&nbsp; All these things sound lovely, and all the research I’ve seen on stuff like this seems pretty conclusive.&nbsp; But it also sounds like a huge commitment.&nbsp; We’ll see how these next 30 days go.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This 30-day challenge also coincides with a text I recently received from another volunteer, Shelley Whittet, who has urged the other volunteers in our group to write or blog about one positive thing we love about Malawi for our final 180 days of service to help us get out of here on a high note.&nbsp; That’s right, exactly 6 months left!!!&nbsp; It’s another lovely, lofty goal, but I’ll try.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So here goes: …see tomorrow's post….<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-62818008546301663322012-11-01T10:18:00.003-07:002012-11-14T10:39:08.236-08:0030-Day Challenge - Round Two: Sweat On Purpose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">It’s October, which means hot season is in full swing over here.&nbsp; H-O-T, Hot.&nbsp; It’s at least a million degrees.&nbsp; You wake up sweating, you go to sleep sweating, you sweat moving from one room to the other to the porch, you sweat sitting.&nbsp; Luckily, my site really isn’t that bad, all the way up here in the mountains.&nbsp; But once you leave here, maybe about 5km down the mountain, the head will hit you like a brick wall.&nbsp; I remember last year feeling really low energy all the time during hot season, especially down at the lakeshore, due to a complete lack of motivation to move and cook, and thus eat.&nbsp; I don’t think I did a damn thing this time last year.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So to remedy the doldrums this year, October’s 30-day challenge was to sweat on purpose every day.&nbsp; My goal was to sweat not just because I was breathing, but because I was up and doing stuff, using energy and staying productive.&nbsp; Turns out, this challenge was a little too easy this month.&nbsp; Maybe I’ll redo it once the rains come and it’s not only hot, but humid and suffocating.&nbsp; But between walking to school every day, down one mountain and up another one (I didn’t go consistently this time last year…), and all the traveling around the country we’ve been doing, I found it easy to work up a legitimate sweat each day. &nbsp;No doldrums here!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Traveling:&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cMGCZQtM5aw/UKPgfMAVrwI/AAAAAAAAAOY/HDM0XIkiuEs/s1600/IMG_2303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cMGCZQtM5aw/UKPgfMAVrwI/AAAAAAAAAOY/HDM0XIkiuEs/s320/IMG_2303.JPG" width="320" /></a>1. Started with Rob and I heading down to Liwonde Game Reserve for the annual game count.&nbsp; This year, as big, bad second year volunteers, we were allowed to camp at the super swanky in-park resort.&nbsp; There was a pool!&nbsp; And elephants that trampled through the camp!&nbsp; We participated in the 4-day waterhole count, where 20 of us PCV’s took 4-hour round-the-clock shifts in hides at waterholes to count the animals that came to drink.&nbsp; We saw everything!&nbsp; It was nuts!&nbsp; In one of my shifts, something like 25 elephants came to splash around the whole time, not 15 feet from our hide!&nbsp; They were playing and tackling each other and spraying themselves and rubbing against trees and yelling at each other!&nbsp; We saw rhinos, hippos, warthogs, zebras, a herd of 125 buffalo.&nbsp; Once, riding through the park on transport to our hide, we met a pair of rangers on bicycles who had to abandon their bikes and were hiding and aiming their rifles at an elephant who had gotten too close and personal, a little too curious about the animals on wheels.&nbsp; We helped scare it off, no shooting necessary.&nbsp; Super awesome experience!&nbsp; My hide-partner has all the pictures, but I’ll try to post a link to them.&nbsp; Also, let it be known that in regards to this 30-day challenge, it was still way too hot to cook and eat.&nbsp; It’s freaking hot.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">2.&nbsp; Then there was Lilongwe for the GRE.&nbsp; Check that one off this list!&nbsp; I choked on the verbal because no matter how much I studied, I just cannot comprehend those damn reading comprehension sections.&nbsp; But it was definitely a respectable score on verbal.&nbsp; I killed it on the math!&nbsp; Just destroyed it.&nbsp; All in all, I don’t think I’ll ever have to take the GRE again.&nbsp; Scores come in 6 weeks, cross your fingers!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">3.&nbsp; Halloween was spent at a resort called Maji Zuwa, about 2 hours north of Mzuzu with about 20 other volunteers.&nbsp; I went as Mitt Rom-mummy.&nbsp; Pictures to come.<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7607424937462944689.post-28948324344181892122012-10-05T07:26:00.004-07:002012-10-05T07:26:43.439-07:00Creative Writing 101<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">So we’ve started another year of Secondary School.&nbsp; I’m teaching math and biology to Form 3.&nbsp; But I’ve added a little something-something to my personal curriculum for my own amusement.&nbsp; Every week (or more than once a week if I don’t feel like actually teaching) we will write for 20 minutes on whatever prompt I choose.&nbsp; This little exercise will work on a number of levels.&nbsp; It’ll encourage them to write their thoughts and think about things they wouldn’t usually think about – these guys are in desperate need of critical and creative thinking practice.&nbsp; It’ll also require them to write in English, which I can then correct and help them with on an individual basis.&nbsp; And it is a perfect excuse to get them to tell me everything I’ve been so unbelievably curious about but can’t ask in any normal conversation since I’ve been here.&nbsp; For example, I can’t wait till they trust me enough to honestly answer the question “explain local initiation ceremonies and how you feel about them” or “why don’t you think men and women are equal in Malawi” or “do male teachers really take advantage of their position with the female students” or “write about a rumor you’ve heard about someone with AIDS” or even just “tell me some Malawian sayings or proverbs”.&nbsp; I know I’ll get at least a few honest answers out of them.&nbsp; And I told them that I’ll be only one reading them (unless they expressly tell me not to read a particular entry), that I’ll keep them locked in my house when we aren’t using them, and that I won’t post anything they say online without their permission.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This week’s was a tame prompt, to get them used to the idea.&nbsp; The question was “what do you want to do with your life after you finish Secondary School”.&nbsp; I got a lot of “I want to be a doctor” or teacher or car mechanic.&nbsp; But I also got one girl saying that she wants to be a medical assistant in a hospital.&nbsp; However, she is worried she is setting her goals too high because she is an orphan living with her aunt and many other children, all of whom depend on her aunt’s single income.&nbsp; Even if she can pass her national exams and get into University, school fees will be unattainable and she’ll have to stay in the village and get married.&nbsp; Another guy in the class had very realistic expectations, which I really appreciated after ten future doctors couldn’t spell “doctor”.&nbsp; He wants to become a soldier, have a good family, and then he wants to build his own house.&nbsp; If he has money left over, he will buy a bicycle to ride to work.&nbsp; Solid.&nbsp; Way to go, kid.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Any prompts you’d like to suggest??<o:p></o:p></div></div>Stacey Neilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14237979541069471549noreply@blogger.com1